Texas Manx Club

by **Heathwerner** » 01 Tue Oct, 2019 8:01 pm

Well I picked up this Manx Buggy project Sunday out of San Antonio. Not real what direction I am going to go with it yet but I am excited to get started on it. I am leaning towards the lowered look maybe with side pods. The engine was not running correct so Roman and I tried adjusting the 2 barrel weber carb and setting the timing. It ran better and pretty strong but still cutting out a bit. Come to find out, it is the wrong carb. It has a water choke on it which opens when water runs through it. Well its kinda hard to find water on a VW air cooled engine, It should be an electric choke. This is what these builds are all about, redo, fix, learn and make it yours.

by **staggerwing** » 03 Thu Oct, 2019 6:08 pm

Good score! Was it a buggy that had been on the road? What’s the story?

by **Heathwerner** » 04 Fri Oct, 2019 4:23 pm

Yes its been on the road. The guy I bought it from purchased about two years ago and put it in storage. He had a guy paint it but it didnt come out that well even though in the pictures it looks good. Also some bad scratches. He just got it out of storage recently but his wife wanted it out of the garage {imagine that} and she wants a Jeep. There are things I am finding that were not done correctly so I will be taking it completely apart and starting over. Not sure if I mentioned above but after some research I am pretty sure it is a Manx. I believe it is a Manx 2 that was built between 1968 and 1970. The Manx 2 has a larger badge on the front and no tubes under the side. Also the dash or gauge area is part of the hood and also made of fiberglass. There were only a couple of hundred made but I dont believe that it necessarily adds to the value. It is going to be another project as soon as I figure out what direction I want to go with it.

by **Bryan Porter** » 05 Sat Oct, 2019 10:01 am

Take the choke off and throw it away don't need it down here!!!

by **Ken** » 08 Tue Oct, 2019 8:24 pm

Dude that's an awesome find. Congratulations! AND... lucky for us to get to watch and learn how the new titling manual is going to work.

by **GregR** » 10 Thu Oct, 2019 6:56 am

Good thought Ken, especially after all the hard work put in by Faron and the lobbyist.

by **Bill K** » 14 Mon Oct, 2019 10:30 pm

Great possibilities, Heath. Nice find, and anxious to see the result of you talented hand on that car.

by **Heathwerner** » 06 Mon Jan, 2020 10:26 pm

Well I've been working on the new buggy project and as usual it has turned into more than expected. I got new pistons and jugs installed due to someone had put stroker pistons in the engine. Once I got it back together it ran better but not like it should. When adjusting the lifters I noticed number 2 piston on the exhaust side was way out further than the rest. I checked everything, the rocker, push rod and thought at one point it may have been the cam but the rocker on the other side would have had the same issue. So at this point I had to tear the engine completely down and split the case to get to the bottom of this. During the tear down I pulled off the fly wheel and found the fly wheel had slipped on the crank messing up the dowel pin holes on the crank and fly wheel. New crank and fly wheel time. Going to go with an 8 dowel pin crank and fly wheel instead of 4. Once inside the case I pulled out the lifters and found the one giving me problems had the push rod hole almost a quarter inch deeper than the others. All I can figure is that it was manufactured on a Friday, this engine has been gone through before and these are not stock lifters. Now its new cam and lifter time due to you cannot miss match cam and lifters. Im already in it now so Im going to do it right. Im having the case align bored, all new bearings, new crank, Engle 110 cam, new chromoly piston rods, new oil with filter and of course new seals, gaskets etc......
So thats the way these things go. You think you have a good engine that just needs a little tweaking and you end up doing a complete rebuild. At least now I will know what I have and it will be new. Hopefully it will run pretty good when I get done. It will be an 1835cc with mild cam and Weber progressive carb. Wish me luck!
Im ready to get past the engine and get started on the rest of the Buggy!

by **staggerwing** » 15 Wed Jan, 2020 5:29 pm

Dangit! Good luck Heath. Looking forward to seeing the new buggy and hearing the new engine! Hats off to Shannon while we’re at it!

by **Heathwerner** » 23 Thu Jan, 2020 9:31 pm

As a wise man once said " Buying Dune Buggies is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get"
My case and all of parts are ready for pick up tomorrow so I will be spending the weekend putting the engine together. Looking forward to it because its my relax time when working on the buggies. No hurries, no worries!

by **Bill K** » 23 Thu Jan, 2020 10:56 pm

Man, you have it figured out, Heath.

by **staggerwing** » 25 Sat Jan, 2020 6:27 pm

Hey Heath.. Maybe you could snap a few pictures of your engine rebuild? That would a really nice touch!

by **Heathwerner** » 04 Tue Feb, 2020 8:14 pm

I got into the build and forgot to take pictures at certain times like when I had the case split with the crank and came installed.
Here's getting ready to put the gears on the crank using the wifes stove while she was gone. Don't tell her!

by **Heathwerner** » 04 Tue Feb, 2020 8:38 pm

I am having issues uploading most of the pictures but I will keep trying

by **Heathwerner** » 04 Tue Feb, 2020 8:52 pm

Until I can get more pictures to upload I have completed the engine and took it for a test run this evening. Wow! It ran really strong. Im very pleased at this point. No issues other than a valve cover leak. No weird noises, smoke, fires or seizing up. Now its time to tear the buggy down and start rebuilding the rest.

by **Bill K** » 04 Tue Feb, 2020 11:00 pm

Congratulations on a job well done.

by **Bryan Porter** » 06 Thu Feb, 2020 11:17 am

Heathwerner wrote:I got into the build and forgot to take pictures at certain times like when I had the case split with the crank and came installed.
Here's getting ready to put the gears on the crank using the wifes stove while she was gone. Don't tell her!

HOW DO YOU GET THE CRANK TO STAND UP SIDEWAYS LIKE THAT?

by **Bill K** » 06 Thu Feb, 2020 12:07 pm

i'm guessing a strong magnet.

by **Heathwerner** » 12 Wed Feb, 2020 11:11 pm

Thanks Bill
It wasnt easy, I had to turn the whole house on its side.
Got the Buggy running pretty good but you know how it is. Im thinking about getting new heads with dual springs and maybe a dual carb setup in place of the Weber progressive. Anybosy have any thoughts on this?
I really need to get the body pulled off and get started on rebuilding the car itself. Lots of body work to do to get ready for paint. Any ideas on color? Let me know what yall think.

by **staggerwing** » 13 Thu Feb, 2020 10:54 pm

Gun Metal Gray with Cragar SS Wheels?
Congratulations an the engine build, sir!
Got mine back in and it runs good AND I have a valve cover leak too!

by **Heathwerner** » 27 Thu Feb, 2020 9:43 pm

Now I have started on some of the body work. There were two big holes in the back seat area that looked like they put speakers in so I fiber glassed them in. Also the gas cap was off to one side on the hood so I cut the neck out of the tank and welded it in the center were I cut a new hole in the hood. I guess I drained and rinsed the gas out good since it didnt blow up! Gonna treat and line the inside of the tank to prevent any rust while its empty during the build. Now I will fiber glass in the old hole. I have some 1/4 pans coming in so I can replace the pan sections in the back where they are rusted. Install a shifter bushing because it doesnt even have one. Just gonna keep fixing and replacing till I get it the way I want it. I have pictures but still having issues resizing them and being able to post them. I will get it figured out eventually and post a few.

by **staggerwing** » 01 Sun Mar, 2020 10:16 am

Awesome! Sounds like fun. Yeah, gotta get that picture-posting figured out so we can all tag along with what you are doing. Good stuff. Keep up the good work!

by **Heathwerner** » 10 Tue Mar, 2020 8:53 pm

Got the shifter bushing in and ran a new fuel line through the tunnel as it was ran inside and out through the body. Also decided to scratch the idea of putting in quarter pans. Went with cutting out the pans and welding in 14 gauge cold rolled steel sheet metal. Going to continue picking away at it and enjoying another build.

by **Heathwerner** » 14 Tue Apr, 2020 10:02 pm

Its been kinda slow going these days on the buggy project. Ive been doing some body work getting it ready for either paint or thinking about wrapping it. Fiber glassed and filled holes all over the body. I counted 57 holes I had to patch. Also built a bracket to install airspeed gauge that came off an airplane that will be functional, just one of those unusual cool factor things. Gonna keep plugging away at it.

by **staggerwing** » 24 Fri Apr, 2020 6:31 pm

“Wrapping it”?
I love the airspeed indicator from an airplane!
57 holes!?
Sure sounds like fun though. Maybe a photo or two when/if you have time? I know it’s a pain in the rear but they sure add pizazz to the story. I’m pretty sure that’s what Chuck Norris would do.

by **Bill K** » 24 Fri Apr, 2020 8:05 pm

I'm with Staggerwing: We'd love to see some pictures.

by **Ken** » 24 Fri Apr, 2020 9:23 pm

I believe someone from this group once said "it ain't real until you share pictures of it".

by **BrianB** » 27 Mon Apr, 2020 2:54 pm

Nice buggy to start with.

by **Ken** » 27 Mon Apr, 2020 5:07 pm

Ken wrote:I believe someone from this group once said "it ain't real until you share pictures of it".

Funny... I think it was BrianB that said that.

by **Heathwerner** » 26 Sat Sep, 2020 11:42 pm

Still working on this project but today I decided to take a break and take my Blue Buggy to car show at a restaurant down on the water. As luck would have it I wasnt to far from the house and noticed something didnt feel right in the rear end. Pulled over at the nearest gas station and gave the rear wheels a good shake to find the right side was super lose. Babied it back to the house jacked it up to find the drum was shot. The first thing I thought about was Sergio ( the curse continues). Just kidding Sergio, no big deal the splines on the shaft are still good. Just a new drum and good to go. This was the first time I had driven it since Kerrville and then I realized how close I came to getting the" Rubber Chicken Award" or possibly even the " Doom Buggy Award". Sure glad I had to go to the Hospital with that kidney stone. Not!!!!!
Anyways, Bot new tires and wheels on the project, working on re-mounting the windshield due to the previous owner installed it backwards. Mounting the gas cap, cleaning up the steering wheel as it is a vintage Formuling France but missing the center cap or horn button. This company is no longer in business but I think I found a guy that can make me one with the Manx logo on a CNC machine. Also I am having a new set of 92mm heads built with dual springs. Need to finish sanding a prepping body for paint which I am shooting for November to paint it. Then I am going to order custom seats from PRP and have my upholstery guy make my interior pieces which I will install myself. Oh, and I have ordered adjustable spring plates I will be installing. This is my to do list but yall know how this goes.
Im still trying to figure out this picture posting issue but as soon as I do I will catch up on getting some posted.

P.S. Brian if you and Keith want to finish mine I can drop it off, Keith said he's cool with it.

by **staggerwing** » 27 Sun Sep, 2020 9:56 pm

Salute!
Got a color picked out?

by **Ken** » 28 Mon Sep, 2020 1:43 pm

Well, sounds like you are feeling better than last time I saw you. Yeah, sounds like that kidney stone issue really saved your neck! Don't you feel lucky? LOL

Posting pictures is not hard, but it does require an online account like postimages.org

Follow the link in my signature for a step-by-step on the subject.

by **Heathwerner** » 30 Wed Sep, 2020 9:53 pm

Hey got a picture to post! This is a center cap a guy made for my steering wheel missing the horn button. His company is called uniWerks Design, LLC. I sent him the logo and he made it on a 3D printer. Very cool because I couldnt find the horn button or center cap for the Formuling France Steering wheel nowhere.

by **Heathwerner** » 30 Wed Sep, 2020 9:55 pm

staggerwing wrote:Salute!
Got a color picked out?

Looks like I am going to test my painting skills and go with candy apple red.

by **Heathwerner** » 30 Wed Sep, 2020 10:05 pm

Here are some previous pics building the engine but I have it all tore apart now getting the heads upgraded and dual carbs to be installed.

by **Ken** » 01 Thu Oct, 2020 3:40 pm

Alright Heath!!! Posting pictures!!

Couple comments for the future.
1. You used the "Thumbnail for forums:" link, don't use that one. Use the "Direct Link". Below in your "quote" I edited the image link to use the "Direct" link, so you can see the difference. I can't change the size. Size is set when you upload the pictures to postimages.org.
2. Image size is set when you upload the pictures to postimages.org. A good size for this forum is 640×480.
3. It gets easier as you do it.

Heathwerner wrote:
Here are some previous pics building the engine but I have it all tore apart now getting the heads upgraded and dual carbs to be installed.

by **staggerwing** » 09 Fri Oct, 2020 11:50 am

Ugh, where’d I put the dang magnifying glass..
Come on man!

by **Heathwerner** » 11 Sun Oct, 2020 9:28 pm

I hear ya! Its sad that I am in the computer field and its easier for me to rebuild an engine than it is to post a picture.

by **Heathwerner** » 15 Sun Nov, 2020 10:53 pm

If all goes well I will be painting the buggy next weekend. Once paint is done the fun starts, assembly!

by **staggerwing** » 16 Mon Nov, 2020 8:16 pm

Okay, since you don’t know how to post pictures here, could you tell us what the color is going to be, and maybe describe the assembly process so we can follow along?

by **Heathwerner** » 23 Mon Nov, 2020 3:31 pm

The color is metallic candy apple red and I'm spraying it over black primer to give a darker appearance. Saturday I painted all the engine pieces and I really like the color its almost like a black cherry. Sunday I shot the body, hood and side pods with the black primer and wet sanded it. Had planned on shooting the paint and clear coat today but the weather is not warm enough so I will shoot it tomorrow. Let me try this picture post thing again.

by **Heathwerner** » 23 Mon Nov, 2020 3:51 pm

: 20201123-133026.jpg (131.44 KiB) Viewed 62702 times

by **Heathwerner** » 23 Mon Nov, 2020 3:54 pm

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by **Heathwerner** » 23 Mon Nov, 2020 3:55 pm

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by **Heathwerner** » 23 Mon Nov, 2020 3:56 pm

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by **Ken** » 24 Tue Nov, 2020 6:47 am

I really dig that red.

by **staggerwing** » 24 Tue Nov, 2020 1:01 pm

Holy smokes, that looks REAL GOOD! Somebody has a lot more energy than I do. That’s gonna be a beautiful buggy, sir. Good job!

by **staggerwing** » 24 Tue Nov, 2020 1:04 pm

Okay, I’m jealous..

by **ScottR** » 24 Tue Nov, 2020 5:42 pm

VERY NICE!!! Coming along very nicely. It is gonna glisten as it goes down the road. Very cool looking red.

by **Heathwerner** » 26 Thu Nov, 2020 10:34 pm

: 20201125-180540.jpg (127.11 KiB) Viewed 62642 times

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